Configuration of Channel Occupancy Time (COT) initiated by User Equipment (UE) in Frame-Based Equipment (FBE) mode

Abstract

A wireless communication system and method are provided for configuring a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a user equipment (UE) in a frame-based equipment (FBE) mode. A user equipment (UE) receives a configuration for the UE to initiate a COT in the FBE mode from a base station (BS). The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period. The UE initiates the COT in a first FBE having a first FBE frame period. The UE sends an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to wireless communication systems and methods, and more particularly, to configuration of channel occupation time (COT) initiated by a user equipment (UE) in a frame-based equipment (FBE) mode for communication on a shared radio frequency band. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include multiple base stations (BSs), each of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0003] To meet the growing demand for expanded mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technology is evolving from Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology to the next generation New Radio (NR) technology, which may be referred to as the fifth generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability than LTE. NR is designed to operate over a wide range of frequency bands, for example, from low bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and mid-bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz, to high bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave) bands. NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high-bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the advantages of NR technology to operating entities that may not be able to obtain licensed spectrum.

[0004] One way to avoid conflicts when communicating in a shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum is to use a listen before talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the shared channel is clear before sending a signal in the shared channel. The operation or deployment of NR in unlicensed spectrum is called NR-U. In NR-U, the BS can schedule the UE to perform UL transmission in the unlicensed band. The UE can perform the LBT procedure before the scheduled time. When LBT succeeds, the UE can continue to send UL data according to the schedule. When LBT fails, the UE can avoid sending. Summary of the invention

[0005] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all expected features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify the key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to describe the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in summary form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0006] For example, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method including receiving a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode from a base station (BS), the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; initiating the COT in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period; and sending an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT.

[0007] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed by a base station (BS), the method comprising sending a configuration to a user equipment (UE) for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; and receiving an uplink communication signal from the UE during a channel occupation time (COT) associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0008] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver configured to receive a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode from a base station (BS), the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; and to send an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT; and a processor configured to: initiate the COT in a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes a transceiver configured to send a configuration to a user equipment (UE) for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; and receive an uplink communication signal from the UE during a channel occupation time (COT) associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon includes code for causing a user equipment (UE) to receive a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode from a base station (BS), the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; code for causing the UE to initiate the COT in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period; and code for causing the UE to send an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon includes code for causing a base station (BS) to send a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; and code for causing the BS to receive an uplink communication signal from the UE during a channel occupation time (COT) associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) includes a unit for receiving a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based device (FBE) mode from a base station (BS), the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; a unit for initiating the COT in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period; and code for sending an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes a unit for sending a configuration for a user equipment (UE) to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) for the UE in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period; and a unit for receiving an uplink communication signal from the UE during a channel occupation time (COT) associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0014] After reviewing the following description of specific exemplary aspects of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects and feature aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although features of the present invention may be discussed with respect to certain aspects and drawings below, all aspects of the present invention may include one or more advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more aspects may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more such features may also be used according to the various aspects of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, although exemplary aspects may be discussed below as devices, systems, or methods, it should be understood that such exemplary aspects may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 A wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 2 is a timing diagram illustrating a radio frame structure according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 is a timing diagram illustrating a frame-based equipment (FBE) frame configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 4 is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE frame configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 5 is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE frame configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 6 is a timing diagram illustrating a FBE frame configuration scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a FBE-based communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary base station (BS) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The detailed description given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. For the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed description includes specific details. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0027] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, also referred to as wireless communication networks. In various aspects, the techniques and apparatus may be used for wireless communication networks, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global system for mobile communications (GSM) networks, 5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" may be used interchangeably.

[0028] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). In particular, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), while cdma2000 is described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These different radio technologies and standards are either known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between a group of telecommunications associations to define globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP may define specifications for next generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. The present disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and subsequent generations with access to wireless spectrum shared between networks using a set of new and different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0029] In particular, 5G networks take into account diverse deployments, diverse spectrum, and diverse services and devices, which can be achieved using a unified air interface based on OFDM. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage (1) to the massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1 trillion nodes / km2), ultra-low complexity (e.g., about tens of bits / second), ultra-low energy consumption (e.g., about 10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage capable of reaching challenging locations; (2) including mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 millisecond), and users with extensive mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) enhanced mobile broadband, including very high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km2), extreme data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+Mbps user experience rates), and deep awareness through advanced discovery and optimization.

[0030] 5G NR can be implemented using an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable digital schemes and transmission time intervals (TTI); a general, flexible framework that effectively multiplexes services and functions through dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and advanced wireless technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the digital scheme in 5G NR, as well as the expansion of subcarrier spacing, can effectively address the operational issues of different services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments implemented by FDD / TDD below 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear as 15kHz on bandwidths (BW) of, for example, more than 5, 10, 20MHz, etc. For other various outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than 3GHz, the subcarrier spacing may appear as 30kHz on 80 / 100MHz bandwidth. For various other indoor broadband implementations, using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5GHz band, subcarrier spacing may occur at 60kHz over a 160MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments using millimeter wave components for transmission with TDD at 28GHz, subcarrier spacing may occur at 120kHz over a 500MHz bandwidth.

[0031] 5G NR's scalable digital scheme facilitates scalable TTI to meet different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmission to start from symbol boundaries. 5G NR also considers a self-contained integrated subframe design with UL / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgment in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, and adaptive UL / downlink can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between UL and downlink to meet current business needs.

[0032] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. It should be clear that the teachings herein can be embodied in various forms, and any specific structure, function, or both disclosed herein are only representative and non-restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, other structures, functions, or structures and functions other than (or different from) one or more aspects set forth herein can be used to implement such a device or can practice such a method. For example, a method can be implemented as a part of a system, device, device, and / or implemented as an instruction stored on a computer-readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. In addition, an aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0033] Deploying NR on unlicensed spectrum is called NR unlicensed (NR-U). Some research has been conducted on NR-U deployment on the 5 Gigahertz (GHz) band to support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) are working to regulate 6 GHz as a new unlicensed band for wireless communications. The addition of the 6 GHz band allows hundreds of megahertz (MHz) of bandwidth (BW) to be used for unlicensed band communications. The addition of these bands also provides opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios, such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) scenarios where there are a large number of UEs. In some cases, it may be necessary to enable URLLC between IIOT UEs in shared and / or unlicensed frequencies.

[0034] There are two methods, load-based equipment (LBE) and frame-based equipment (FBE), for channel access on unlicensed bands or shared bands. LBE uses dynamic channel access configuration. For example, a node (e.g., BS or UE) operating in LBE mode can perform LBT at any time. If the channel is busy, the node can perform a random backoff and can perform LBT again after the random backoff. In contrast, FBE uses a semi-static channel access configuration. For example, a node (e.g., BS or UE) operating in FBE mode can perform LBT at a fixed time. If the channel is busy, the node can back off a fixed time period and can perform LBT again after the fixed time period. In other words, the FBE frame structure may include a periodic fixed frame period (FFP), which may also be referred to as an FBE frame. Each FFP includes an idle period at the end of the FFP. The node can perform LBT during the idle period to compete for the COT in the subsequent FFP.

[0035] In some aspects, the network may provide URLLC on a shared band or an unlicensed band using the FBE mode for channel access. For example, when the network is operating in an isolated environment or a controlled environment (e.g., there is no WiFi node nearby), the FBE mode may be appropriate. When operating in FBE mode, the channel occupancy time (COT) is usually initiated or acquired by the BS. For example, the BS may initiate or acquire the COT in the FFP by performing LBT during the idle period of the previous BS FFP. After obtaining the COT, the BS may schedule the UE to perform UL and / or DL ​​transmissions during the COT. In some cases, the UE may send a UL communication signal to the BS in the FFP after detecting a DL transmission (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), synchronization signal block (SSB), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), remaining minimum system information (RMSI), group common (GC)-PDCCH signal light) from the BS in the FFP (indicating that the BS has obtained the COT in the FFP). To facilitate communication between the BS and the UE in FBE mode, the BS may broadcast information related to the FBE frame or FFP structure used by the BS (e.g., the duration of the FFP, the duration of the idle period, and / or the FFP relative to the radio frame). In some cases, the UE may be required to initiate or acquire a COT and communicate with the BS, for example, to reduce the transmission delay of URLLC services, rather than relying on the COT initiated by the BS.

[0036] The present disclosure describes a mechanism for configuring an FBE frame structure to provide a UE-initiated COT. For example, a BS may perform channel access according to an FFP structure including multiple FFPs (e.g., periodic FFPs), which may be referred to as a BS FFP. Each BSFFP may include a COT followed by an idle period. In order to enable COT initiation at a UE, the BS may configure a similar FFP structure for the UE, which may be referred to as a UE FFP structure. For example, a UE FFP structure may include multiple periodic UE FFPs each having a first frame period (e.g., duration). In some cases, the first frame period of the UE FFP may have a duration different from that of the second frame period of the BSFFP. In some other cases, the first frame period of the UE FFP may have the same duration as that of the second frame period of the BSFFP. In addition, the start of the UE FFP may be offset from the start of the BS FFP. In some aspects, the BS may send a configuration indicating the first frame period and / or the offset to the UE. In some aspects, the configuration may be a radio resource control (RRC) configuration. Thus, the UE may receive the configuration and may initiate a COT according to the configuration. For example, the UE may initiate a COT in a UE FFP by performing LBT during an idle period of a previous UE FFP. After gaining access or winning a COT (through LBT), the UE may send UL transmissions to the BS during the UE-initiated COT.

[0037] In some aspects, the BS may configure the UE FFP structure separately or independently of the BS FFP structure. For example, the BS may select a first frame period for the UE FFP from a first frame period set, and may select a second frame period for the BS FFP from a second frame period set. In some aspects, the first frame period set and the second frame period set may include at least one different frame period. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period set may be the same as the second FBE frame period set. In some aspects, the BS may configure the first FBE frame period of the UE FFP based on the second frame period of the BS FFP. For example, the first FBE frame period may be an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period. Alternatively, the first FBE frame period may be an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period.

[0038] In some aspects, the BS may further determine the period at which the UE may initiate a COT. For example, the traffic (UL transmission) at the UE may have a periodic pattern, and the traffic periodicity may be longer than the frame period of the UE FFP. In this way, the BS may configure a UE-initiated COT repetition period (e.g., periodicity) that is longer than the frame period of the UE FFP. In some aspects, the UE-initiated COT repetition period may include multiple UE FFPs (e.g., approximately 2, 3, 4, or more). The UE-initiated COT repetition period determines the frequency at which the UE initiates COT, and the duration of the COT within the UE FFP determines the duration of the UE COT. In some aspects, the BS may indicate to the UE (e.g., in a configuration) that the UE may initiate a COT in an FFP having a starting boundary aligned with a boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the BS may indicate to the UE (e.g., in a configuration) that the UE may initiate a COT in an FFP offset from a boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. For example, the BS may include in the configuration an indication of a first number of UE FFPs in the UE-initiated COT repetition period and a second number of UE FFPs in the offset.

[0039] Aspects of the present disclosure may provide several benefits. For example, configuring a UE FFP structure and signaling the UE FFP structure may allow FBE-based UEs to compete and acquire COT, thereby allowing for more efficient UL transmission. Additionally, configuring the UE FFP structure separately from the BS FFP structure may allow for flexibility, for example, to account for UE traffic patterns in the UE FFP structure and / or to optimize channel access and / or resource utilization between the BS and the UE. Furthermore, configuring the UE-initiated COT repetition period separately from the frame period or duration of the UE FFP may decouple the UE traffic periodicity from the UE FFP structure.

[0040] Figure 1 A wireless communication network 100 is shown according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115 and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to this particular geographic coverage area of ​​the BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0041] The BS 105 may provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells, such as pico cells or femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription with a network provider. Small cells, such as pico cells, may typically cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with a service subscription with a network provider. Small cells, such as femto cells, will also typically cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home), and in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access for UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG) , UEs of home users, etc.). A BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 In the example shown, BS 105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BS 105a-105c may be macro BSs that enable one of three-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. BS 105a-105c may utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to utilize 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. BS 105f may be a small cell BS that may be a home node or a portable access point. BS 105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0042] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0043] UE 115 is dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. UE 115 can also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. UE 115 can be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, UE 115 can be a device including a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). On the other hand, UE can be a device that does not include UICC. In some aspects, UE 115 that does not include UICC can also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UE 115a-115d is an example of a mobile smart phone type device that accesses the network 100. UE 115 can also be a machine that is specifically configured for connecting communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UE 115e-115h are examples of various machines configured for communication accessing network 100. UE 115i-115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communication accessing network 100. UE 115 is capable of communicating with any type of BS, whether macro BS, small cell, etc. Figure 1 In the figure, lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between UE 115 and serving BS 105 (serving BS 105 is a BS designated to serve UE 115 on downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL)), expected transmission between BS 105, backhaul transmission between BSs, or sidelink transmission between UE 115.

[0044] In operation, BS 105a-105c may provide services to UEs 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro BS 105d may perform backhaul communications with BS 105a-105c and small cell BS 105f. Macro BS 105d may also transmit multicast services that are subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services may include mobile TV or streaming video, or may include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as AMBO alerts or gray alerts.

[0045] The BS 105 may also communicate with a core network. The core network may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which may be examples of gNBs or access node controllers (ANCs)) may interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communicating with the UE 115. In various examples, the BSs 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the core network) via a backhaul link (e.g., X1, X2, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0046] The network 100 may also support mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices (e.g., UE 115e, which may be a drone). The redundant communication links with UE 115e may include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e, and links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine-type devices such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) may communicate directly with BSs (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) through the network 100, or in a multi-step configuration by communicating with another user device that relays its information to the network, such as UE 115f transmitting temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports it to the network through small cell BS 105f. The network 100 may also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low latency TDD / FDD communications (e.g., V2V, V2X, C-V2X between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115 and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and BS 105).

[0047] In some embodiments, the network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequency bands, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some cases, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other cases, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0048] In some aspects, BS 105 may allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, while UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. Communication may be in the form of radio frames. Radio frames may be divided into a plurality of subframes or time slots, for example, about 10. Each time slot may be further divided into micro-time slots. In FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions may occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur in different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., a DL subframe) may be used for DL ​​transmission and another subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., an UL subframe) may be used for UL transmission.

[0049] DL subframes and UL subframes can be further divided into several areas. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have a predefined area for transmitting reference signals, control information and data. Reference signals are predetermined signals that facilitate communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, reference signals can have a specific pilot pattern or structure, wherein pilot tones can span operating BW or frequency bands, each positioned at a predefined time and a predefined frequency. For example, BS 105 can send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) to enable UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable BS 105 to estimate an UL channel. Control information may include resource allocation and protocol control. Data may include protocol data and / or operational data. In some aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 may communicate using self-contained subframes. Self-contained subframes may include a portion for DL ​​communication and a portion for UL communication. Self-contained subframes may be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for DL ​​communications than UL communications. A UL-centric subframe may include a longer duration for UL communications than UL communications.

[0050] In some aspects, the network 100 may be an NR network deployed on a licensed spectrum. The BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some cases, the BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a synchronization signal block (SSB) over a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0051] In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from the BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 may then receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identification value that may be combined with a physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the central portion of a carrier or at any suitable frequency within a carrier.

[0052] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network joining and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include radio resource control (RRC) information related to random access channel (RACH) procedures, paging, control resource sets (CORESET) for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, physical UL control channel (PUCCH), physical UL shared channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0053] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL authorization, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. After receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105 and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, the RAR, the connection request, and the connection response may be referred to as message 1 (MSG1), message 2 (MSG2), message 3 (MSG3), and message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 may send a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission.

[0054] After establishing the connection, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter a normal operation phase, in which operational data may be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL ​​communications. The BS 105 may send UL and / or DL ​​scheduling grants to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). The BS 105 may send DL communication signals (e.g., carrying data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send UL communication signals to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0055] In some aspects, BS 105 may communicate with UE 115 using HARQ technology to improve communication reliability, for example, to provide URLLC services. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL grant in PDCCH. BS 105 may send DL data packets to UE 115 according to the scheduling in PDSCH. DL data packets may be sent in the form of transport blocks (TBs). If UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packet, UE 115 may send HARQ ACK to BS 105. Conversely, if UE 115 fails to successfully receive the DL data packet, UE 115 may send HARQ NACK to BS 105. After receiving HARQ NACK from UE 115, BS 105 may retransmit the DL data packet to UE 115. The retransmission may include a coded version of the DL data that is the same as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may include a coded version of the DL data that is different from the initial transmission. The UE 115 may apply soft combining to combine the coded data received from the initial transmission and the retransmission for decoding. The BS 105 and the UE 115 may also apply HARQ to UL communications using substantially similar mechanisms as DL HARQ.

[0056] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on a system BW or a component carrier (CC) BW. The network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., parts). The BS 105 may dynamically assign the UE 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain part of the system BW). The allocated BWP may be referred to as an active BWP. The UE 115 may monitor the active BWP to obtain signaling information from the BS 105. The BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 to perform UL or DL ​​communications in the active BWP. In some aspects, the BS 105 may allocate a pair of BWPs within a CC to the UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the BWP pair may include a BWP for UL communication and a BWP for DL ​​communication.

[0057] In some aspects, network 100 may operate on a shared channel, which may include a shared frequency band and / or an unlicensed frequency band. For example, network 100 may be an NR-U network operating on an unlicensed frequency band. In such aspects, BS 105 and UE 115 may be operated by multiple network operation entities. In order to avoid conflicts, BS 105 and UE 115 may use a listen-before-talk (LBT) process to monitor transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in a shared channel. TXOP may also be referred to as channel occupancy time (COT). For example, a transmitting node (e.g., BS 105 or UE 115) may perform LBT before transmitting in a channel. When LBT passes, the transmitting node may continue to transmit. When LBT fails, the transmitting node may avoid transmitting in the channel.

[0058] LBT can be based on energy detection (ED) or signal detection. For LBT based on energy detection, when the signal energy measured from the channel is lower than a threshold, the result of LBT is passed. On the contrary, when the signal energy measured from the channel exceeds a threshold, the result of LBT is failed. LBT may include one, two or more idle channel assessments (CCAs) performed during a continuous time period. For LBT based on signal detection, when a channel reservation signal (e.g., a predetermined preamble signal) is not detected in the channel, the result of LBT is passed. In addition, LBT can be in multiple modes. The LBT mode can be, for example, type 4 (CAT4) LBT, type 2 (CAT2) LBT, or type 1 (CAT1) LBT. CAT1 LBT is referred to as a non-LBT mode, in which LBT is not performed before transmission. CAT2 LBT refers to LBT without a random backoff period. For example, a transmitting node can determine a channel measurement in a time interval and determine whether a channel is available based on a comparison of the channel measurement with an ED threshold. CAT4 LBT refers to an LBT with a random backoff and a variable contention window (CW). For example, the sending node may draw a random number and back off for a period of time in a specific time unit based on the drawn random number.

[0059] In some aspects, the network 100 may operate on an unlicensed band, such as the 6 GHz band. As described above, the FCC may specify a maximum EIRP and / or a maximum EIRP PSD for transmission in the 6 GHz band. Therefore, when the network operates on a 6 GHz channel, the BS 105 may communicate with the UE 115 in accordance with FCC regulations. In some aspects, the network 100 may operate in FBE mode. FBE-based channel access is a semi-static channel access configuration in which LBT is performed at a fixed point in time. For example, the FBE frame structure may include periodic FFPs, each FFP including a COT period followed by an idle period. The FFP may also be referred to as an FBE frame. In order to obtain the COT in a certain FFP, a node (e.g., BS 105) may perform LBT during the idle period of the previous FFP. In order to facilitate the FBE mode of operation, the BS 105 may broadcast system information indicating the FBE configuration and the PRACH configuration to facilitate the UE 115 to access the network 100 through the unlicensed band. The FBE configuration may include information associated with the duration of the FFP, the duration and / or location of idle periods in the FFP.The PRACH configuration may indicate a PRACH resource or RO in which the UE 115 may send a PRACH preamble to initiate network access.

[0060] When operating in FBE mode, BS 105 may contend for or initiate COT in a channel by performing LBT in an idle period of a previous FFP. After acquiring COT, BS 105 may schedule UE 115 to perform UL and / or DL ​​transmissions during COT. In some cases, UE 115 may send UL communication signals to BS 105 in FFP after detecting DL transmissions (e.g., PDCCH signals, SSBs, PBCH signals, RMSI, GC-PDCCH signals, etc.) from BS 105 in FFP (indicating that BS 105 has acquired COT in FFP).

[0061] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the network 100 may also provide COT initiation at the UE 115, for example, to provide lower transmission delay for UL transmissions such as URLLC transmissions. In order to facilitate UE-initiated COT acquisition, the BS 105 may configure the UE 115 with an FFP structure including a periodic FFP to initiate COT in FBE mode. The UE FFP structure may be substantially similar to the BS FFP structure. For example, each UE FFP may include a COT followed by an idle period. However, the UE FFP may be time-offset from the BS's FFP. For example, the starting boundary of the UE FFP may be offset from the starting boundary of the BS FFP. The BS 105 may send a configuration indicating the UE FFP structure to the UE 115. Therefore, the UE 115 may receive the configuration and acquire the COT according to the configuration. For example, similar to the BS 105, the UE 115 may acquire the COT in the UE FFP by performing LBT during the idle period of the previous UE FFP. The mechanism for configuring the UE FFP structure for the UE 115 to initiate COT in FBE mode is described in more detail herein.

[0062] Figure 2 2 is a timing diagram illustrating a radio frame structure 200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Radio frame structure 200 may be employed by a BS such as BS 105 and a UE such as UE 115 in a network 100 for communication. Specifically, the BS may communicate with the UE using time-frequency resources configured as shown in radio frame structure 200. Figure 2 , the x-axis represents some arbitrary units of time, and the y-axis represents some arbitrary units of frequency. Radio frame structure 200 includes radio frame 201. The duration of radio frame 201 can vary depending on the aspect. In an example, radio frame 201 can have a duration of about ten milliseconds. Radio frame 201 includes M time slots 202, where M can be any suitable positive integer. In an example, M can be about 10.

[0063] Each time slot 202 includes a plurality of subcarriers 204 in frequency and a plurality of symbols 206 in time. The number of subcarriers 204 and / or the number of symbols 206 in a time slot 202 may vary depending on aspects, for example, based on channel bandwidth, subcarrier spacing (SCS), and / or CP mode. One subcarrier 204 in frequency and one symbol 206 in time form one resource element (RE) 212 for transmission. A resource block (RB) 210 is formed by a plurality of consecutive subcarriers 204 in frequency and a plurality of consecutive symbols 206 in time.

[0064] In the example, the BS (e.g., Figure 1 BS 105 in the system may schedule a UE (e.g., Figure 1 UE 115 in the BS may perform UL and / or DL ​​communications at a time granularity of a time slot 202 or a mini-slot 208. Each time slot 202 may be time-divided into K mini-slots 208. Each mini-slot 208 may include one or more symbols 206. The mini-slots 208 in the time slot 202 may have variable lengths. For example, when the time slot 202 includes N symbols 206, the length of the mini-slot 208 may be between one symbol 206 and (N-1) symbols 206. In some aspects, the length of the mini-slot 208 may be approximately two symbols 206, approximately four symbols 206, or approximately seven symbols 206. In some examples, the BS may schedule the UE at a frequency granularity of a resource block (RB) 210 (e.g., including approximately 12 subcarriers 204).

[0065] Figure 3 is a timing diagram illustrating an FBE frame configuration scheme 300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The scheme 300 may be used by a BS such as BS 105 and / or a UE such as UE 115 in a network 100 for communication. Specifically, for example, the BS may communicate with the UE in FBE mode using the FBE frame configuration scheme 300 on a shared radio band in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum. The scheme 300 may be used in various scenarios, including IIOT and / or URLLC scenarios. In addition, the scheme 300 may be used in conjunction with the radio frame structure 200. In Figure 3 , the x-axis represents some arbitrary unit of time.

[0066] In the scheme 300, the BS 105 may configure multiple FFPs 310 for channel access (e.g., in a shared channel or shared radio band), as shown in the BS FFP timeline 301. The FFP 310 may be periodic. Each FFP 310 includes a COT 312 and an idle period 314. The FFP 310 may also be referred to as an FBE frame and the duration of the FFP 310 may be referred to as a frame period, an FBE frame period, or a frame length. The COT 312 may also be referred to as a transmission period. The BS 105 may perform channel sensing or LBT in the idle period 314 and may access the channel during the COT 312 in a subsequent FFP 310. Although Figure 3 The idle period 314 is illustrated as being located at the end of the FFP 310, but it should be understood that in other examples, the idle period of the FFP 310 may be located at the beginning of the FFP 310. In some aspects, some regulations may limit the COT 312 to be no longer than 95% of the frame length (the duration of the FFP 310) and the idle period to be no shorter than 5% of the frame length. In some aspects, some regulations may further limit the idle period 314 to be no longer than 100 microseconds (μs).

[0067] In some aspects, each FFP 310 is limited to a duration of approximately 1 ms, 2 ms, 2.5 ms, 4 ms, 5 ms, or 10 ms. The starting position of the FFP 310 within every two radio frames (e.g., radio frame 201) can start from the even radio frame and is given by:

[0068] i*P; i={0,1,…,20 / P-1}, (1)

[0069] where P is the duration of the FFP 310. In addition, the duration of the idle period 314 of a given SCS is given by: ceiling(minimum idle time allowed by regulation / Ts), (2)

[0070] Where Ts is the symbol duration of the SCS.

[0071] In some aspects, the BS 105 may notify the UE 115 of the FBE mode with the configuration for the FFP 310, for example, in the RMSI field of the broadcast channel (BCH) payload. The FFP configuration may be included in the system information block (SIB) type 1. SIB1 may include information related to the UE to evaluate whether the UE is allowed to access the corresponding cell. In addition, SIB1 may provide the UE 115 with a schedule of other system information (OSI). In some aspects, the RMSI field in the PBCH payload may indicate whether the FBE mode (e.g., semi-static channel access mode) or the LBE mode will be used for channel access. In some aspects, the BS 105 may also notify the UE 115 of the PRACH resources (random access opportunities) where the UE 115 may send a random access preamble to initiate network access with the BS 105. In some cases, when operating in FBE, the BS 105 and / or the UE 115 may treat the PRACH resources that overlap or partially overlap with the idle period 314 of the FFP 310 as invalid. In other words, the UE 115 may not use the PRACH resources overlapping or partially overlapping with the idle period 314 for random access preamble transmission, and the BS 105 may not monitor the random access preamble in the PRACH resources overlapping or partially overlapping with the idle period 314.

[0072] In some aspects, the BS 105 may perform LBT in the idle period 314 to gain access to the COT 312 in the subsequent FFP 310. The LBT may be a CAT2 LBT. It should be noted that the CAT2 LBT in the FBE mode is different from the CAT2 LBT in the LBE mode. For example, the CAT2 LBT in the LBE mode may include a channel signal energy measurement (e.g., a single channel signal energy measurement) within a measurement duration of about 25 microseconds or about 16 microseconds before the transmission. The CAT2 LBT in the FBE mode may include one channel signal energy measurement within a measurement duration of at least 4 μs within a 9 μs sensing interval immediately before the transmission.

[0073] After gaining access to the COT 312, the BS 105 may conduct UL and / or DL ​​communications with the UE 115 during the COT 312. The BS 105 and the UE 115 may conduct multiple UL and / or DL ​​communications in the COT 312 without performing another LBT. However, if there is a gap of 16 μs or more from the end of the previous UL / DL transmission to the start of the DL transmission in the COT 312, the BS 105 may perform a CAT2 LBT before the DL transmission. Similarly, if there is a gap of 16 μs or more from the end of the previous UL / DL transmission to the start of the UL transmission, the UE 115 may perform a CAT2 LBT before the UL transmission.

[0074] The configuration or frame structure of the FFP 310 broadcast by the BS 105 may allow the UE 115 to monitor the COT indication from the BS 105 and / or understand the duration and / or time position of the COT of the BS 105. As described above, after the BS 105 gains access or wins the COT 312, the BS 105 may send a DL transmission in the COT 312. The UE 115 may monitor the DL transmission from the BS 105. In some cases, the UE 115 may send an UL transmission within the FFP 310 upon detecting a DL transmission (e.g., a PDCCH signal, SSB, PBCH signal, RMSI, GC-PDCCH signal, etc.) from the BS 105 in the FFP 310. Detection of a DL transmission from the BS 105 in the FFP 310 may be used to indicate that the BS 105 has successfully acquired the COT 312 in the FFP 310.

[0075] In some aspects, if the BS 105 indicates an FBE mode of operation and provides a fallback UL and / or DL ​​grant (downlink control information (DCI)) indicating CAT2 LBT or CAT4 LBT to the UE 115, the UE 115 may follow a mechanism whereby one channel signal energy is measured for a duration of 9 μs (e.g., single LBT) within a 25 μs interval prior to transmission. In some aspects, the BS 105 may use the fallback DCI to indicate RMSI scheduling. The same 2-bit field for LBE mode in the fallback DCI may be used or reinterpreted to indicate FBE LBT type, CP extension, and / or channel access priority (CAPC) indication.

[0076] As described above, in some aspects, it may be desirable for the UE to initiate or acquire a COT and communicate with the BS in the UE-initiated COT. Therefore, the BS 105 may be additionally configured for the UE to initiate a COT in FBE mode. For example, the BS 105 configures multiple FFPs 320 for the UE 115. For simplicity of explanation, the UE FFP in the timeline 302 shows one UE FFP 320. However, the UE FFP 320 is periodic (similar to the BS FFP 310, repeated in a manner of one UE FFT 320 after another UE FFT 320 in time). The UE FFP 320 may have a structure similar to the BS FFP 310. Each UE FFP 320 includes a COT 322, followed by an idle period 324. In the UE FFP 320, the duration of the COT 322 and the duration of the idle period 324 may be defined using rules similar to the COT 312 and the idle period 314 in the BS FFP 310. For example, COT 322 may be no longer than 95% of the frame length (duration of FFP320), and idle period 324 may be, as described above, a maximum value between 5% of the frame length and 100 μs. In addition, BS 105 may configure UE FFP 320 to start at a different time from BS FFP 310. As shown, the start or boundary of UE FFP 320 is offset or misaligned with the start or boundary of BS FFP 310 by offset 330, which also results in an offset between idle period 324 of UE 115 and idle period 314 of BS 105. Offsetting idle period 314 between BS 105 and UE 115 allows BS 105 and UE 115 to perform LBT (contention channel access) at different times. As shown, BS FFP 310 starts before UE FFP 320, so BS 105 can have a higher channel access priority than UE 115.

[0077] Although Figure 3The UE FFP 320 having a longer duration than the BS FFP 310 is illustrated, but it should be understood that in other examples, the UE FFP 320 may have the same duration as the BS FFP 310 or a shorter duration than the BS FFP 310. In some aspects, the BS 105 may configure the UE FFP 320 independently of or separately from the BS FFP 310. For example, the BS 105 may select a frame period (duration) for the UE FFP 320 from a first frame period set and may select a frame period for the BS FFP 310 from a second frame period set. In some aspects, the first frame period set and the second frame period set may include at least one different frame period. In some cases, the second frame period set (from which the BS FFP 310 is selected) may include {1ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 4ms, 5ms, 10ms}, and the first frame period set (from which the UE FFP 320 is selected) may include at least one frame period different from the second set. In some aspects, the first frame period set (from which UE FFP 320 is selected) can be a new frame period set different from {1ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 4ms, 5ms, 10ms}. In some other aspects, the first frame period set (from which UE FFP 320 is selected) can be the same as the second frame period set (from which BS FFP 310 is selected). For example, each of the first and second frame period sets can include {1ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 4ms, 5ms, 10ms}.

[0078] In some aspects, BS 105 may configure a frame period for UE FFP 320 based on or relative to a frame period of BS FFP 310. For example, the frame period of UE FFP 320 may be an integer multiple (e.g., 2, 3, 4, or more) of the frame period of BS FFP 310. Figure 3 , the frame period of the UE FFP 320 may be twice the frame period of the BS FFP 310. Alternatively, the period of the UE FFP 320 may be an integer factor of the frame period of the BS FFP 310 (e.g., Figure 4 shown).

[0079] In some aspects, the BS 105 may notify the UE 115 of the configuration or frame structure of the UE FFP 320, for example, via a broadcast configuration or a UE-specific configuration. In some cases, the broadcast configuration or the UE-specific configuration may be an RRC configuration. The configuration may include an indication of the frame period (duration) for the UE FFP 320. The configuration may also include a start time for the UE FFP 320 (e.g., an offset relative to the boundary of the BS FFP 310). The UE 115 may use the configuration to perform channel access, for example, by performing LBT in the channel at a fixed time (during the idle period 324 of the FFP 320).

[0080] To initiate COT 322 in UE FFP 320, UE 115 may perform LBT or CCA during an idle period 324 of a previous UE FFP 320 to sense whether the channel is available. If the channel is busy, UE 115 may back off during a fixed period 322 and sense the channel again after the fixed period 322 (in the next idle period 314). In some cases, UE 115 may measure the energy level during COT 322, and if the energy level is below a threshold and if UE 115 detects that the channel is idle, UE 115 may immediately start sending data in COT 322. In some aspects, LBT may be FBE mode CAT2 LBT as described above.

[0081] After obtaining access to the COT 322, the UE 115 may send UL communication signals (e.g., including uplink data and / or uplink control information (UCI)) to the BS 105. In some aspects, the UE 115 may use the configured granted resources within the COT 322 for UL transmission. In some other aspects, the UE 115 may have received a grant for UL transmission from the BS 105. For example, the BS 105 may send the grant within a specific COT 312 acquired by the BS 105, and the transmission time for the UL transmission may be outside of the COT 312 acquired by the BS 105.

[0082] Figure 4 4 is a timing diagram illustrating an FBE frame configuration scheme 400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 400 may be used by a BS such as BS 105 and / or a UE such as UE 115 in a network such as network 100 for communication. Specifically, for example, the BS may communicate with the UE in FBE mode using the FBE frame configuration scheme 400 on a shared radio band in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum. Scheme 400 may be used in various scenarios, including IIOT and / or URLLC scenarios. In addition, scheme 400 is employed in conjunction with radio frame structure 200. In Figure 4In , the x-axis represents some arbitrary unit of time. Figure 3 The same BS FFP timeline as in FIG. 4 is used to describe the scheme 400, and for simplicity the same BS FFP timeline may be used as in FIG. Figure 3 4. The scheme 400 is substantially similar to the scheme 300. However, the BS 105 may configure the UE 115 with a UE FFP 420 whose duration or frame period is an integer factor (e.g., 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4, 1 / 5, 1 / 6, etc.) of the FFP 310. For example, the BS 105 may determine the frame period or duration of the UE FFP 420 by subdividing the frame period of the BS FFP 310.

[0083] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated example of , BS 105 configures multiple FFPs 420 for UE 115 as shown by UE FFP timeline 402. UE FFP 420 may have a similar structure to BS FFP 310. Each UE FFP 420 includes a COT 422 followed by an idle period 424. The duration of COT 422 in UE FFP 420 and the duration of idle period 424 may be defined using similar rules as COT 312 and idle period 314 in BS FFP 310. For example, COT 422 may be no longer than 95% of the frame length (duration of FFP 420) and idle period 424 may be a maximum value between 5% and 100 of the frame length, as discussed above. In addition, BS 105 may configure UE FFP 420 to start at a different time than BS FFP 310. For example, the start of UE FFP 420 may be offset from the start of BS FFP 310 by an offset 430.

[0084] Similar to the scheme 300, the BS 105 may send a configuration (e.g., a broadcast configuration or a UE-specific configuration) to inform the UE 115 of the frame structure of the UE FFP 420. For example, the configuration may include an indication of a frame period or duration and / or an offset 430 for each UE FFP 420. Thus, the UE 115 may initiate or acquire a COT 422 based on the UE FFP 420. For example, the UE 115 may perform a CAT2 LBT (e.g., an FBE mode CAT2 LBP) during an idle period 424 of the UE FFP 420 to acquire a COT 422 in a subsequent FFP 420. After winning the COT 422, the UE 115 may send a UL communication signal (e.g., including UL data and / or UCI) to the BS 105 in the COT 422.

[0085] In some aspects, a certain rule may limit the maximum FFP size or length to about 10 milliseconds, regardless of whether channel access or COT is acquired by the BS 105 or the UE 115. However, in some aspects, the UE 115 may have traffic with a period exceeding 10 milliseconds. Therefore, the BS 105 may need to separately configure the UE 115 with a UE-initiated COT period (e.g., the frequency at which the UE 115 can initiate a COT) and a UE FFP frame structure (e.g., when the UE 115 can initiate a COT and the duration of the UE COT). Figure 5 and 6 Various mechanisms for configuring UE COT periodicity and UE FFP frame structure are illustrated.

[0086] Figure 5 is a timing diagram illustrating an FBE frame configuration scheme 500 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 500 may be used by a BS such as BS 105 and / or a UE such as UE 115 in a network such as network 100 for communication. Specifically, for example, the BS may configure the UE to initiate COT using the FBE frame configuration scheme 500 on a shared radio band in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum. Scheme 500 may be used in various scenarios, including IIOT and / or URLLC scenarios. In addition, scheme 500 may be used in combination with radio frame structure 200 and / or schemes 300 and / or 400. In Figure 5 In , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units.

[0087] In the scheme 500, the BS 105 may configure a UE 115 with a UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 and a plurality of UE FFPs 520 that are repeated in time. The UE FFPs 520 may have a similar structure to the FFPs 310, 320, and / or 420. For example, each UE FFP 520 includes a COT 522 followed by an idle period 524. The duration of the COT 522 and the duration of the idle period 524 in the UE FFP 520 may be configured using the same method as described above with respect to Figure 3 The COT 312 and idle period 314 in the BS FFP 310 discussed above are defined by similar rules. In some aspects, the UE FFP 520 may correspond to Figure 3 UE FFP 320 Figure 4 UEFFP 420.

[0088] The UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 may be a period during which the UE 115 may initiate a COT 522. In some aspects, the BS 105 may configure the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 to be longer than the duration or period of the UE FFP 520. Figure 5In the illustrated example of , the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 includes two UE FFPs 520. In addition, the BS 105 can configure the UE 115 to initiate a COT in a starting UE FFP 520 within the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502. In other words, the UE 115 can initiate a COT 522 (indicated by a patterned filled box) in an FFP 520 having a starting boundary that is aligned with a boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502. The UE 115 can avoid initiating a COT 522 in an FFP 520 having a starting boundary that is not aligned with a boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502. In general, the BS 105 can allow the UE 115 to initiate a COT 522 in a single FFP 520 within the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502, and the single FFP 522 can be any one of the FFPs 520 in the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502.

[0089] As an example, the UE FFP 520 may have a period or duration of approximately 10 ms and the UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 may be approximately 20 ms. Thus, the UE 115 may COT 522 at a frequency of every 20 ms at the beginning of each UE-initiated COT repetition period 502. For example, the UE 115 may initiate or acquire the COT 522 (pattern fill frame) by performing LBT (e.g., FBE mode CAT2 LBT) during an idle period 524 of the previous FFP 520 (immediately before the COT 522). After obtaining access to the COT 522, the UE 115 may send an UL transmission (e.g., a PUSCH signal or a PUCCH signal) to the BS 105 during the COT 522.

[0090] Figure 6 600 is a timing diagram illustrating an FBE frame configuration scheme 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 600 may be used by a BS such as BS 105 and / or a UE such as UE 115 in a network such as network 100 for communication. Specifically, for example, the BS may configure the UE to initiate COT using the FBE frame configuration scheme 600 on a shared radio band in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum. Scheme 600 may be used in various scenarios, including IIOT and / or URLLC scenarios. In addition, scheme 600 may be used in conjunction with radio frame structure 200 and / or schemes 300 and / or 400. In Figure 6 , the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary units. Scheme 600 may be substantially similar to scheme 500, but may provide greater flexibility in configuring the locations at which the UE may initiate a COT within a UE-initiated COT repetition period.

[0091] In scheme 600, BS 105 may configure UE 115 with a UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 and multiple UE FFPs 620 that repeat in time. UE FFPs 620 may have a similar structure to FFPs 310, 320, 420, and / or 520. For example, each UE FFP 620 includes a COT 622 followed by an idle period 624. The duration of the COT 622 and the duration of the idle period 624 in the UE FFP 620 may be configured using the same method as described above with respect to Figure 3 The COT 312 and idle period 314 in the BS FFP 310 discussed above are defined by similar rules. In some aspects, the UE FFP 620 may correspond to Figure 3 UE FFP 320 or Figure 4 UE FFPs 420.

[0092] The BS 105 may indicate to the UE 115 the location at which the UE 115 may initiate a COT within a UE-initiated COT repetition period by indicating a length or duration of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 and an offset 630 relative to the start of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 at which the UE 115 may initiate a COT 622. In some aspects, the BS 105 may indicate the duration of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 and the offset 630 in units of UE FFPs 620. For example, the BS 105 may send a configuration including an indication of a first number (e.g., denoted as X) of UE FFPs 620 within the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 and an indication of a second number (e.g., denoted as Y) of UE FFPs 620 for the offset 630.

[0093] For example, the UE FFP 620 may have a period or duration of approximately 10 ms, the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 may be approximately 30 ms, and thus the configuration may indicate that the X value is 3 and the Y value is 1. Thus, the UE 115 may initiate a COT 622 at a frequency of every 3 UE FFPs 620 (e.g., every 30 milliseconds) in the FFP 620, with the FFP 620 having a starting point offset from the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period 602 by one UE FFP 620. For example, the UE 115 may initiate or acquire the COT 622 by performing LBT (e.g., FBE mode CAT2 LBT) during an idle period 624 of the previous FFP 620 (immediately before the COT 622). After gaining access to the COT 622, the UE 115 may send an UL transmission (e.g., a PUSCH signal or a PUCCH signal) to the BS 105 during the COT 622.

[0094] In some aspects, BS 105 may configure UE 115 to initiate COT in FBE mode using any suitable combination of schemes 300, 400, 500, and / or 600. In addition, after UE 115 obtains COT in FFP (e.g., FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620), UE 115 may send UL transmissions to BS 105 in a portion of the COT and share a subsequent portion of the COT with BS 105 for DL ​​communications, which will be discussed below in conjunction with Figure 7 Discuss more fully.

[0095] Figure 7 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating a method 700 for communication based on FBE according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented between a UE 115 and a BS 105 in a network 100. The method 700 may employ the same techniques as described above with respect to Figure 3-6 In some aspects, the UE 115 may utilize one or more components, such as Fig. 9 The steps of method 700 are performed by a processor 902, a memory 904, a FBE module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916 of BS 105. In some aspects, BS 105 may utilize one or more components, such as Figure 8 The steps of method 700 are performed by a processor 802, a memory 804, a FBE module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816. As shown, method 700 includes many of the enumerated actions, but aspects of method 700 may include additional actions before, after, and between the enumerated actions. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated actions may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0096] At act 705, BS 105 configures the FBE mode for channel access on a shared radio frequency band (e.g., in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum). For example, BS 105 may determine a plurality of BS FFPs (e.g., FFP 310) for BS 105 to indicate the COT in the channel. BS 105 may also determine a plurality of UE FFPs (e.g., FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620) for UE 115 to indicate the COT in the channel.

[0097] In some aspects, BS 105 can independently select the frame period (duration) for UE FFP and the frame period for BS FFP. In some aspects, BS 105 can select the frame period for UE FFP from the first frame period set and can select the frame period for BS FFP from the second frame period set. In some aspects, the first frame period set and the second frame period set can include at least one different frame period. In some other aspects, the first frame period set can be identical with the second frame period set. For example, at least one of the first frame period set or the second frame period set can include the period of 1ms, 2ms, 2.5ms, 4ms, 5ms and 10ms. In some aspects, the frame period of each UE FFP can be different from the frame period of each BSFFP. In some other aspects, the frame period of each UE FFP can be identical with the frame period of each BS FFP.

[0098] In some aspects, BS 105 may configure a frame period for UE FFP based on the frame period of BS FFP. For example, the frame period of UE FFP may be an integer multiple (e.g., 2, 3, 4, or more) of the frame period of BS FFP, for example, as described above with respect to Figure 3 In some other cases, the frame period of the UE FFP may be an integer factor of the frame period of the BS FFP, for example, as discussed above with respect to Figure 4 discussed.

[0099] In some aspects, BS 105 may determine a time offset (e.g., offsets 330 and 430) between the start of the UE FFP and the start of the BS FFP, e.g., to avoid causing UE 115 to contend with BS 105 when contending for a COT and / or to allow UE 115 to have a different opportunity to contend for a COT than BS 105. In some cases, BS 105 may configure the start of the BS FFP to precede the start of the UE FFP, e.g., to provide BS 105 with a higher channel access priority than UE 115.

[0100] In some aspects, BS 105 may also determine a period (e.g., UE-initiated COT repetition period 502 and / or 602) at which UE 115 may contend for COT separately from the frame period of UE FFP. For example, BS 105 configures the UE-initiated COT repetition period to be longer than the frame period of UE FFP, as described above with respect to Figure 5 and Figure 6 For example, the UE-initiated COT repetition period may include multiple UE FFPs (e.g., approximately 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more). The BS 105 may determine the UE-initiated COT repetition period based on the traffic cycle at the UE 115.

[0101] In action 710, BS 105 performs LBT during an idle period (e.g., idle period 314) within the BS FFP to compete for a COT (e.g., COT 312) in a subsequent BS FFP. The LBT may be a FBE mode CAT2 LBT. For example, BS 105 may measure the signal energy in the channel for a measurement duration of at least 4 microseconds within a 9 microsecond sensing interval immediately before the COT. BS 105 may receive a signal from the channel and calculate the power of the received signal. If the measured value is below a certain threshold, the channel is available or idle. Otherwise, the channel is occupied or busy. For example, the LBT is successful (where the channel signal energy measurement is below the threshold), and BS 105 obtains a COT (e.g., shown as BS COT 712).

[0102] In action 720, after winning COT 712, BS 105 sends a first configuration indicating a BS FFP structure to UE 115 during COT 712. The first configuration may indicate an FBE operation mode (e.g., semi-static channel access), a frame period (duration) of the BS FFP, a duration of an idle period in the BS FFP, and / or an alignment of a boundary of the BS FFP relative to a boundary of a radio frame (e.g., radio frame 201). In some aspects, the first configuration may be an RRC configuration (e.g., RMSI or SIB1). Thus, UE 115 may receive the first configuration.

[0103] In action 730, BS 105 sends a second configuration indicating the UE FFP structure to UE 115. The second configuration may be a frame period (duration) of the UE FFP, a duration of an idle period in the UE FFP, and / or an alignment of a boundary of the UE FFP relative to a boundary of the BSFFP (e.g., offset 330 and / or 430). The second configuration may also indicate a UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the second configuration may further indicate that UE 115 may initiate a COT in the FFP, the FFP having a start boundary aligned with a boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 5 In some aspects, the second configuration may further indicate that the UE 115 may initiate a COT in an FFP that is offset from a boundary of a UE-initiated COT repetition period. For example, the second configuration may include an indication of a first number (e.g., X) of UE FFPs in a UE-initiated COT repetition period and an indication of a second number (e.g., Y) of UE FFPs in the offset, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 6 As discussed. In some aspects, the second configuration may be an RRC configuration (e.g., in a broadcast communication or a UE-specific communication specific to UE 115). Thus, UE 115 may receive the second configuration. Figure 7 It is illustrated that BS 105 transmits the first and second configurations separately, but it should be understood that in other examples, BS 105 may indicate the first and second configurations in a single configuration. Thus, UE 115 may receive the first and second configurations in a single configuration.

[0104] In action 740, the UE 115 performs LBT during an idle period (e.g., idle period 314) within the UE FFP based on the second configuration to compete for a COT (e.g., COT 312) in a subsequent UE FFP. The LBT may be an FBE mode CAT2 LBT. The UE 115 may use a mechanism substantially similar to that of the BS 105, as discussed above in action 710. For example, the LBT is successful (where the channel signal energy measurement is below a threshold), and the UE 115 obtains a COT (e.g., shown as UE COT 742). In some aspects, the UE 115 may further initiate a COT 742 based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period indicated by the second configuration (e.g., shown as a UE-initiated COT repetition period 744). For example, the UE 115 may initiate a UE COT 742 within a UE FFP offset from a boundary of a UE-initiated COT repetition period configured by the second configuration.

[0105] At act 750, after winning COT 742, UE 115 sends a UL transmission to BS 105 during COT 742. The UL transmission may include UL data (e.g., PUSCH data) and / or UCI (e.g., channel state information (CSI), scheduling request (SR), HARQ ACK / NACK, etc.).

[0106] In some aspects, the UE 115 may share the UE COT 742 with the BS 105. For example, after the UE 115 completes the UL transmission (from action 750), there may be remaining time in the COT 742. The BS 105 may utilize the remaining duration in the COT 742 for DL ​​transmissions (e.g., DL broadcast communications or UE-specific communications), as shown by the dashed line at action 760. In some aspects, the BS 105 may configure the COT sharing configuration for the UE 115 (e.g., the duration and / or start within the UE COT for sharing).

[0107] Figure 8 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. BS 800 may be BS 105 in network 100, as described above in Figure 1As shown, BS 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, an FBE module 808, a transceiver 810 including a modem subsystem 812 and an RF unit 814, and one or more antennas 816. These elements may communicate directly or indirectly with each other, such as via one or more buses.

[0108] The processor 802 may have various characteristics as a specific type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 802 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 in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0109] The memory 804 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of the processor 802), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state storage devices, one or more hard disk drives, magnetoresistive-based arrays, other forms of volatile and nonvolatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, the memory 804 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. The memory 804 may store instructions 806. The instructions 806 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 802, cause the processor 802 to perform the operations described herein, such as the instructions in FIG. Figure 1-7 and aspects of 11. Instructions 806 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements, as discussed above.

[0110] The FBE module 808 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the FBE module 808 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 806 stored in the memory 804 and executed by the processor 802. In some cases, the FBE module 808 may be integrated into the modem subsystem 812. For example, the FBE module 808 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 812.

[0111] The FBE module 808 may communicate with various components of the BS 800 to perform various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1-7and 11. For example, the FBE module 808 is configured to send a configuration for a UE (e.g., UE 115) to initiate a COT (e.g., COT 322, 422, 522, 622, and / or 742) in FBE mode. The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period (e.g., a period or duration of a UE FFP such as UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620). In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is one of a first FBE frame period set associated with the UE. The FBE module 808 may be configured to send the configuration in a second FBE frame (e.g., BS FFP 310) having a second FBE frame period, wherein the second FBE frame period is one of a second FBE frame period set associated with the BS. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period set and the second FBE frame period set include at least one different FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period set is the same as the second FBE frame period set. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3 In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 4 In some aspects, the configuration is an RRC configuration.

[0112] The FBE module 808 is further configured to receive an uplink communication signal from the UE during a COT associated with the UE. The COT is within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period. For example, the COT is initiated or acquired by the UE according to a configuration. In some aspects, the COT is based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period, for example, as described above with respect to Figure 5 and / or 6. In some aspects, the UE-initiated COT repetition period is an integer multiple of the first FBE frame period. In some aspects, the boundary of the first FBE frame is aligned with the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration may also indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the start of the first FBE frame is offset from the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration may also indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period and the offset. In some aspects, the configuration may include an indication of a first number of first FBE frame periods in the UE-initiated COT repetition period and an indication of a second number of first FBE frame periods in the offset.

[0113] As shown, the transceiver 810 may include a modem subsystem 812 and an RF unit 814. The transceiver 810 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as UE 85 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 812 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS, such as an LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a polar coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc. The RF unit 814 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH, configured grants, dynamic scheduling grants, RRC configurations, SIB1, RMSI, FBE configurations, DL eMBB data, DL URLLC data) from the modem subsystem 812 (on outbound transmissions) or from another source (e.g., UE 115). The RF unit 814 may be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in transceiver 810, modem subsystem 812 and / or RF unit 814 may be separate devices that are coupled together at BS 105 to enable BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0114] The RF unit 814 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as data packets (or, more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information), to the antenna 816 for transmission to one or more other devices. According to some aspects of the present disclosure, this may include, for example, the transmission of information to complete attachment to a network and communication with a resident UE 115. The antenna 816 may further receive data messages sent from other devices and provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 810. The transceiver 810 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, eMBB data, URLLC data) to the FBE module 808 for processing. The antenna 816 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0115] In some aspects, the transceiver 810 is configured to communicate with components of the BS 800 to send a configuration for a UE (e.g., UE 115 and / or 900) to initiate a COT in FBE mode. The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period (e.g., a period or duration of a UE FFP such as UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620). The transceiver 810 is also configured to communicate with components of the BS 800 to receive an uplink communication signal from the UE during a COT associated with the UE. The COT is within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period.

[0116] In one aspect, the BS 800 may include multiple transceivers 810 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the BS 800 may include a single transceiver 810 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 810 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0117] Fig. 9 900 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 900 may be the Figure 1 As shown, UE 900 may include a processor 902, a memory 904, a FBE module 908, a transceiver 910 including a modem subsystem 912 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 914, and one or more antennas 916. These elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, such as via one or more buses.

[0118] The processor 902 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 902 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 in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0119] The memory 904 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of the processor 902), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, hard drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one aspect, the memory 904 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 904 may store instructions 906, or have instructions 906 recorded thereon. The instructions 906 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 902, cause the processor 902 to perform operations in conjunction with aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 1-7 and Fig.10Instructions 906 may also be referred to as program code. The program code may be used to cause the wireless communication device to perform the operations, such as by causing one or more processors (e.g., processor 902) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statements. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, processes, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0120] The FBE module 908 may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the FBE module 908 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 906 stored in the memory 904 and executable by the processor 902. In some cases, the FBE module 908 may be integrated into the modem subsystem 912. For example, the FBE module 908 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the modem subsystem 912.

[0121] The FBE module 908 may communicate with various components of the UE 900 to perform various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1-7 10. For example, the FBE module 908 is configured to receive a configuration for a UE to initiate a COT (e.g., COT 322, 422, 522, 622, and / or 742) from a BS in FBE mode. The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period (e.g., a period or duration of a UE FFP such as UE FFP320, 420, 520, and / or 602). In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is one of a first FBE frame period set associated with the UE. The configuration may be received during a second FBE frame (e.g., BS FFP310) having a second FBE frame period, wherein the second FBE frame period is one of a second FBE frame period set associated with the BS. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period set and the second FBE frame period set include at least one different FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period set is the same as the second FBE frame period set. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3 In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 4 In some aspects, the configuration is an RRC configuration.

[0122] The FBE module 908 is also configured to initiate a COT in a first FBE frame (e.g., UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620) having a first FBE frame period. For example, the UE performs LBT during an idle period (e.g., idle period 314) within a previous FBE frame. The LBT may be an FBE mode CAT2 LBT as described above. For example, the FBE module 808 may be configured to measure the signal energy in the channel for a measurement duration of at least 4 μs within a 9 μs sensing interval immediately prior to the COT. The FBE module 808 may be configured to receive a signal from the channel and calculate the power of the received signal, determine that the channel is available if the measurement meets a certain threshold (successfully acquiring the COT), or determine that the channel is occupied or busy if the measurement fails to meet the threshold.

[0123] In some aspects, the FBE module 908 can be configured to initiate the COT further based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 5 and / or 6. In some aspects, the UE-initiated COT repetition period is an integer multiple of the first FBE frame period. In some aspects, the boundary of the first FBE frame is aligned with the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration may also indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the start of the first FBE frame is offset from the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration may also indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period and the offset. In some aspects, the configuration may include an indication of a first number of first FBE frame periods in the UE-initiated COT repetition period and an indication of a second number of first FBE frame periods in the offset.

[0124] The FBE module 908 is also configured to send uplink communication signals to the BS during the COT. The uplink communication signals may include UL data and / or UCI.

[0125] As shown, the transceiver 910 may include a modem subsystem 912 and an RF unit 914. The transceiver 910 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices such as the BS 105. The modem subsystem 912 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 904 and / or the FBE module 908 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a polar coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 914 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, eMBB data, URLLC data) from the modem subsystem 912 (in outbound transmission) or a transmission from another source such as the UE 115 or the BS 105. The RF unit 914 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in the transceiver 910, the modem subsystem 912 and the RF unit 914 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the UE 115 to enable the UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0126] The RF unit 914 may provide modulated and / or processed data, such as data packets (or, more generally, data messages that may contain one or more data packets and other information) to the antenna 916 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 916 may also receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 916 may provide received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 910. The transceiver 910 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH, configured grants, dynamic scheduling grants, RRC configurations, SIB1, RMSI, FBE configurations, DL eMBB data, DL URLLC data) to the FBE module 908 for processing. The antenna 916 may include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 914 may configure the antenna 916.

[0127] In some aspects, the transceiver 910 is configured to communicate with components of the UE 900 to receive a configuration for the UE to initiate COT in FBE mode from the BS, wherein the configuration indicates a first FBE frame period. The processor 902 is configured to communicate with components of the UE 900 to initiate COT in a first FBE frame (e.g., UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620) having a first FBE frame period. The transceiver 910 is also configured to communicate with components of the UE 900 to send an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT. The uplink communication signal may include UL data and / or UCI.

[0128] In one aspect, the UE 900 may include multiple transceivers 910 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the UE 900 may include a single transceiver 910 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 910 may include various components, where different combinations of components may implement different RATs.

[0129] Fig.10 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1000 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1000 may be performed by a UE such as UE 115 and / or 900. The UE may include a processor, a processing circuit, and / or any other suitable components or units for performing the steps. For example, the UE 900 may utilize one or more components such as a processor 902, a memory 904, a FBE module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916 to perform the steps of the method 1000. The method 1000 may be implemented in the same manner as described above with respect to Figure 1-7 Similar mechanisms discussed. Method 1000 can be used as part of a semi-static channel access scheme using the FBE operating mode. For example, method 1000 can be used for NR-U in an IIOT scenario. In addition, method 1000 can be used to enable URLLC between a BS and a UE. As shown, method 1000 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 1000 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0130] At block 1010, a UE (e.g., UE 115 or 900) receives a configuration from a BS for the UE to initiate a COT (e.g., COT 322, 422, 522, 622, and / or 742) in FBE mode. The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period (e.g., a period or duration of a UE FFP such as UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620). In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is one of a first set of FBE frame periods associated with the UE. The configuration may be received during a second FBE frame (e.g., BS FFP 310) having a second FBE frame period, wherein the second FBE frame period is one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first set of FBE frame periods and the second set of FBE frame periods include at least one different FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first set of FBE frame periods is the same as the second set of FBE frame periods. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 4 As discussed. In some aspects, the configuration is an RRC configuration. In some aspects, the UE may utilize one or more components, such as a processor 902, a memory 904, an FBE module 908, a transceiver 910, a modem 912, and one or more antennas 916, to perform the operations of block 1010.

[0131] At block 1020, the UE initiates a COT in a first FBE frame (e.g., UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620) having a first FBE frame period. For example, the UE performs LBT during an idle period (e.g., idle period 314) within a previous FBE frame. The LBT may be an FBE mode CAT2 LBT as described above. For example, the UE may measure the signal energy in the channel for a measurement duration of at least 4 microseconds within a 9 microsecond sensing interval immediately prior to the COT. The UE may receive a signal from the channel and calculate the power of the received signal. If the measured value is below a certain threshold, the channel is available or idle, and the UE may successfully acquire the COT. Otherwise, the channel is occupied or busy. In some aspects, the UE may utilize one or more components (e.g., processor 902, memory 904, FBE module 908, transceiver 910, modem 912, and one or more antennas 916) to perform the operations of block 1020.

[0132] At block 1030, the UE sends an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT. The uplink communication signal may include UL data and / or UCI. In some aspects, the UE may utilize one or more components (e.g., processor 902, memory 904, FBE module 908, transceiver 910, modem 912, and one or more antennas 916) to perform the operations of block 1030.

[0133] In some aspects, the UE may further initiate a COT at block 1020 based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 5and / or 6. In some aspects, the UE-initiated COT repetition period is an integer multiple of the first FBE frame period. In some aspects, the boundary of the first FBE frame is aligned with the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration received at block 1010 may further indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the start of the first FBE frame is offset from the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration received at block 1010 may further indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period and the offset. In some aspects, the configuration received at block 1010 may include an indication of a first number of first FBE frame periods in the UE-initiated COT repetition period and an indication of a second number of first FBE frame periods in the offset.

[0134] In some aspects, the UE may also receive downlink communication signals from the BS during the COT based on COT sharing. For example, the UE may send uplink communication signals in block 1030 during a portion of the COT, and the BS may send downlink communication signals during the remaining portion of the COT.

[0135] Fig.11 1 is a flow chart of a communication method 1100 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1100 may be performed by a BS such as BS 105 and / or 800. The BS may include a processor, a processing circuit, and / or any other suitable components or units for performing the steps. For example, BS 800 may utilize one or more components (e.g., processor 802, memory 804, FBE module 808, transceiver 810, modem 812, and one or more antennas 816) to perform the steps of method 1100. The method 1100 may employ the same techniques as described above with respect to Figure 1-7 Similar mechanisms discussed. Method 1100 can be used as part of a semi-static channel access scheme using frame-based equipment (FBE). For example, method 1100 can be used in NR-U in an IIOT scenario. In addition, method 1100 can be used to enable URLLC between a BS and a UE. As shown, method 1100 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 1000 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0136] At block 1110, a BS (e.g., BS 105 and / or 800) sends a configuration to a UE for the UE (e.g., UE 115 and / or 900) to initiate a COT (e.g., COT 322, 422, 522, 622, and / or 742) in FBE mode. The configuration indicates a first FBE frame period (e.g., a period or duration of a UE FFP such as UE FFP 320, 420, 520, and / or 620). In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is one of a first set of FBE frame periods associated with the UE. The configuration may be sent during a second FBE frame (e.g., BS FFP 310) having a second FBE frame period, wherein the second FBE frame period is one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first set of FBE frame periods and the second set of FBE frame periods include at least one different FBE frame period. In some aspects, the first set of FBE frame periods is the same as the second set of FBE frame periods. In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 3 In some aspects, the first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period, e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 4 In some aspects, the configuration is an RRC configuration. In some aspects, the BS may utilize one or more components (e.g., processor 802, memory 804, FBE module 808, transceiver 810, modem 812, and one or more antennas 816) to perform the operations of block 1110.

[0137] At block 1120, the BS receives an uplink communication signal from the UE during a COT associated with the UE. The COT is within a first FBE frame having a first FBE frame period. For example, the COT is initiated or acquired by the UE according to a configuration. The BS 800 may utilize one or more components (e.g., a processor 802, a memory 804, an FBE module 808, a transceiver 810, a modem 812, and one or more antennas 816) to perform the operation of 1120.

[0138] In some aspects, the COT is based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period, e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 5and / or 6. In some aspects, the UE-initiated COT repetition period is an integer multiple of the first FBE frame period. In some aspects, the boundary of the first FBE frame is aligned with the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration sent at block 1110 may further indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the start of the first FBE frame is offset from the boundary of the UE-initiated COT repetition period. In some aspects, the configuration sent at block 1110 may further indicate the UE-initiated COT repetition period and the offset. In some aspects, the configuration sent at block 1110 may include an indication of a first number of first FBE frame periods in the UE-initiated COT repetition period and an indication of a second number of first FBE frame periods in the offset.

[0139] In some aspects, the BS may further transmit a downlink communication signal to the UE during a COT associated with the UE based on COT sharing. For example, the BS may receive an uplink communication signal at block 1030 during a portion of the COT and transmit a downlink communication signal during the remainder of the COT.

[0140] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced in the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0141] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0142] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and embodiments are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the above functions may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination of these. The features that implement the functions may also be physically located in different locations, including distribution so that some functions are implemented in different physical locations. In addition, as used herein, including in the claims, the "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with a phrase such as "at least one" or "one or more") represents an inclusive list, such as a list of [at least one of A, B, or C] represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e. A and B and C). Unless otherwise specified, the term "about" or "approximately" may be used to represent a range of + / -2%.

[0143] As some skilled in the art will now appreciate, many modifications, substitutions and changes may be made to the materials, devices, configurations and methods of use of the apparatus of the present disclosure, depending on the specific application at hand, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific aspects shown and described herein (because they are only some examples), but should be fully commensurate with the scope of the subsequent claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station (BS), a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based equipment (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period and a periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT, wherein the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT is configured separately from the first FBE frame period; initiating the COT in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period; and An uplink communication signal is transmitted to the BS during the COT.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The first FBE frame period is a FBE frame period in a first FBE frame period set associated with the UE; as well as The receiving comprises: The configuration is received from the BS during a second FBE frame having a second FBE frame period, the second FBE frame period being one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first set of FBE frame periods and the second set of FBE frame periods include at least one different FBE frame period.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first set of FBE frame periods is the same as the second set of FBE frame periods.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: The initiating is also based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein: The receiving comprises: A radio resource control (RRC) configuration including the configuration is received from the BS.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A downlink communication signal is received from the BS during the COT based on COT sharing.

11. A method of wireless communication performed by a base station (BS), the method comprising: Determine the periodicity of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a user equipment (UE); sending, to the UE, a configuration for the UE to initiate the COT in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period and the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT, wherein the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT is configured separately from the first FBE frame period; as well as An uplink communication signal is received from the UE during the COT associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The first FBE frame period is a FBE frame period in a first FBE frame period set associated with the UE; as well as The sending includes: The configuration is transmitted to the UE during a second FBE frame having a second FBE frame period, the second FBE frame period being one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein: The first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein: The first set of FBE frame periods and the second set of FBE frame periods include at least one different FBE frame period.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein: The first set of FBE frame periods is the same as the second set of FBE frame periods.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein: The first FBE frame period is an integer multiple of the second FBE frame period.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein: The first FBE frame period is an integer factor of the second FBE frame period.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein: The COT is based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein: The sending includes: A radio resource control (RRC) configuration including the configuration is sent to the UE.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising: A downlink communication signal is sent to the UE during the COT associated with the UE based on COT sharing.

21. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A transceiver configured to: receiving, from a base station (BS), a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based equipment (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period and a periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT, wherein the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT is configured separately from the first FBE frame period; and sending an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT; and A processor configured to: The COT is initiated in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period.

22. The UE of claim 21, wherein: The first FBE frame period is a FBE frame period in a first FBE frame period set associated with the UE; as well as The transceiver configured to receive the configuration is configured to: The configuration is received from the BS during a second FBE frame having a second FBE frame period, the second FBE frame period being one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS.

23. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The processor configured to initiate the COT is configured to: The COT is also initiated based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period.

24. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The transceiver configured to receive the configuration is configured to: A radio resource control (RRC) configuration including the configuration is received from the BS.

25. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The transceiver is further configured to: A downlink communication signal is received from the BS during the COT based on COT sharing.

26. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving, from a base station (BS), a configuration for the UE to initiate a channel occupation time (COT) in a frame-based equipment (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period and a periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT, wherein the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT is configured separately from the first FBE frame period; means for initiating the COT in a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period; and means for sending an uplink communication signal to the BS during the COT.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein: The first FBE frame period is a FBE frame period in a first set of FBE frame periods associated with the UE; and The unit for receiving the configuration is configured to: The configuration is received from the BS during a second FBE frame having a second FBE frame period, the second FBE frame period being one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS.

28. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The unit for receiving the configuration is configured to: A radio resource control (RRC) configuration including the configuration is received from the BS.

29. The UE of claim 26, further comprising: Means for receiving a downlink communication signal from the BS during the COT based on COT sharing.

30. A base station (BS), comprising: A unit for determining the periodicity of a channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by a user equipment (UE); means for sending, to the UE, a configuration for the UE to initiate the COT in a frame-based device (FBE) mode, the configuration indicating a first FBE frame period and the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT, wherein the periodicity at which the UE initiates the COT is configured separately from the first FBE frame period; as well as Means for receiving an uplink communication signal from the UE during the COT associated with the UE, the COT being within a first FBE frame having the first FBE frame period.

31. The BS of claim 30, wherein: The first FBE frame period is a FBE frame period in a first set of FBE frame periods associated with the UE; and The unit for sending the configuration is configured to: The configuration is transmitted to the UE during a second FBE frame having a second FBE frame period, the second FBE frame period being one of a second set of FBE frame periods associated with the BS.

32. The BS of claim 31, wherein: The first FBE frame period is different from the second FBE frame period.

33. The BS of claim 30, wherein: The COT is based on a UE-initiated COT repetition period that is longer than the first FBE frame period.

34. The BS according to claim 30, wherein: The unit for sending the configuration is configured to: A radio resource control (RRC) configuration including the configuration is sent to the UE.

35. The BS of claim 30, further comprising: Means for sending a downlink communication signal to the UE during the COT associated with the UE based on COT sharing.

Images